Would You Rather?
by Slytherin Buttercat
Summary: Ernie, Hannah and Susan all play a game. A game that becomes dangerous as magic works its power. All Eloise and Justin can do is watch.
1. i

**Small Game: Would You Rather?**

 **Prompt: Would you rather: have a third eye** _ **or**_ **have a third limb?**

 **Word count: 516**

* * *

 **Would You Rather?**

* * *

i.

"Let's play a game," Ernie said one rainy afternoon.

Hannah looked up from the frayed threads she was picking. "What kind of game?"

"It's not going to be like the last game we played, is it?" Susan asked, sliding down the sofa she was sitting on and landing on the floor in a heap.

"Hopefully not." Last time, someone had to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and remove the clothes of everyone in there. They couldn't forfeit, because magic would not allow it. It was a truly terrifying experience.

"What do you want to play?" Eloise asked, lying across her own sofa whilst staring up at the ceiling.

"Would you rather."

Eloise's eyes widened as she rolled on her side to look at Ernie. "Well, you can count me out, then. That game…" She shuddered. "Never again."

"Justin?" Ernie looked up at his friend hopefully.

"I'm out as well. This sounds dangerous."

"Susan?" He sounded desperate now.

"Sure, I'm in. Why not?"

"And you, Hannah?"

Hannah shrugged. "It can't hurt, can it?"

Eloise muttered something under her breath, but what she said was ignored by the three players. Only Justin heard her.

"Who wants to start?" Ernie asked, shuffling around on the floor to get comfortable.

Susan crossed her legs in front of her, leaning back on the sofa Eloise was on. "I will. Hannah, would you rather have a third limb or a third eye?"

Hannah squeaked. "I didn't think I would be going first. Um, what do you mean by a third limb?"

"I mean, either a third arm or a third leg. You can choose which, I think."

"I already have a third leg," Ernie said, winking at Susan.

Justin rolled his eyes. Susan just scoffed. "Hardly. Besides, this isn't your question."

Hannah hid a laugh at the jibe Susan made. Ernie held his hand to his heart in mock hurt—or maybe it was real? "Honestly, Susan, you wound me."

"Good."

The area they were sitting in was quiet for almost two whole seconds until three of them burst out laughing. Justin sent an apologetic look to the other people in the Common Room, whilst Eloise grabbed a pillow and threw it at the closest person to her—Hannah. The blonde whipped her head round to face Eloise so fast that one of her pigtails hit Ernie. "What was that for, Ellie?"

"You were being stupid. No one could concentrate."

Susan rolled her eyes at Eloise. "I think we should get back to the game now. Hannah, third limb or third eye?"

"Um, third eye, I guess, but in the back of my head."

Justin choked on the Butterbeer he was sipping. Ernie leant around Susan to see why, and he dropped his own bottle to the floor with a clatter. Hannah's eyes—all _three_ of them—started to brim with tears. "No, no, no." She blinked all three eyes. "This can't be happening."

She blinked again before shuddering. "This feels so weird," she said, sounding hysterical.

In between her two pigtails lay an eye, blue like the normal two, eyelids complete with blonde eyelashes.

* * *

 **Why was Eloise so adamant against playing? )**

 **~Buttercat**


	2. ii

**Small Game: Would You Rather**

 **Prompt: would you rather get good grades** _ **or**_ **be a good athlete?**

 **Word Count: 398**

* * *

 **Would You Rather?**

* * *

ii.

Eloise sat on the arm of the sofa opposite Justin, who was resting on the other arm. "How did you know something like this was going to happen?" Justin asked.

Eloise sighed. "Back before third year, two of my cousins and I played this game. I was asked if I would rather have acne or Dragon Pox."

She didn't need to say anymore, for Justin took one look at the acne scars and winced sympathetically. "So that's how…" He trailed off. "Do the effects last?"

"It depends. I did research on it once I went back to Hogwarts. Things about skills, that sort of thing, they last a few months. Skin ailments last years. Stuff about health, they are only for a few minutes, two hours max. Things about death last forever, whilst things about bringing someone back to life are only an illusion."

"So Hannah will only have the… the eye for another few hours?"

"I guess. It might be related to physical structure. Like, a question about, well, someone getting a big penis, that would last a few days."

Justin was nodding. "That makes sense, I guess."

"They have to continue, they can't stop now, they each have to answer one question, otherwise magic will get annoyed and will retaliate."

Whilst those two were talking, Susan and Ernie were trying to comfort a hysterical Hannah. "I'm going to be a freak! Ne—No one will ever want me now!"

"Hans, you could never be a freak. And if Neville doesn't want you, well, it's his loss."

Ernie nodded along with Susan's words. "You can't believe that anyone will discriminate against you for having an extra eye, can you?"

Hannah shook her head. "There we go, then. Wipe those tears, dear, for we're in for a ride."

"We still have to play?" Hannah asked.

Ernie nodded. "Just until Suzie and I have answered a question."

"Okay. Okay. Ernie, would you rather—would you rather get good grades or be a good athlete?"

"Well, I already have good grades, so I guess I would rather be a good athlete."

Eloise hissed. "Ernie, you're not going to get good grades now. No matter how hard you try. You'll always get an A, or _lower_. And the O.W.L.s are in a few months and—"

"Lo, breathe." Justin grabbed Eloise's hand. "He'll be fine, trust me."

"Is that true?" Ernie asked her, speaking over Justin.

Eloise nodded.

"Fuck."

* * *

 **With Ernie's grade's slacking, Sprout asks him if he is okay, if everything is working out okay. He said everything was fine. He got his first ever P in those months. Luckily, the charm wore off before the O.W.L.s.**

 **~Buttercat**


	3. iii

**Small Game: Would You Rather?**

 **Prompt: Would you rather be blind** _ **or**_ **death?**

 **Word Count: 544**

* * *

 **Would You Rather?**

* * *

iii.

Eloise had her head in Justin's lap, and he played with her hair slowly, trying to calm her down. "Susan is last," she murmured. "Susan can't be hurt, right? They won't hurt her?"

"Ernie isn't a criminal mastermind, Lo. He will give her an easy question. Pinky promise."

"Susan, would you rather be blind or deaf?"

"What the _fuck?_ " Eloise jerked upwards. "Why on earth would you ask that? How could you do something like that?"

"Questions relating to health only last a few minutes." Ernie sounded afraid. "You said that. I thought it would be easier for her to only have to deal with a few minutes."

She's your fu—flipping girlfriend, Ernie! How could you try to subject her to something like that?"

"I didn't think," Ernie said, backing away from the sofa Eloise was sitting on.

"Obviously not, you never do!"

"If you two are finished," Susan said pointedly, "I would like to answer my question now. I don't ever want to be blind. I need my eyesight for everything. So I would rather be deaf."

Susan knew the complete and utter silence would engulf her but she wasn't prepared, so when she could no longer hear anything she almost whimpered in fear. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid.

Eloise pounced on Ernie's back but he easily shook her off. _This must be something about his athleticism_ , Susan thought. _I wonder what else he can do._

She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about things like that. Not when her best friend was trying to kill her boyfriend and her other two best friends weren't doing anything about it.

"Don't kill him," she might have said, but it felt too loud.

They all turned to look at her. She could see their mouths moving, but didn't know what it was they were saying. "I can't hear you," she probably said, feeling too loud again.

Ernie grabbed her hand and traced patterns in it. She smiled at him, and Eloise sat back down, letting Justin braid her hair to calm her down. She liked her hair being touched. Susan thought it was cute. Hannah and Ernie were talking, glancing at her every so often, although Ernie never stopped holding her hand. He was cute.

Hannah turned around to pick up a bottle of Butterbeer and Susan blinked at the eye. She had forgotten it was there.

She would have preferred a third eye over a third limb too.

"...likes her, do you?"

"Yeah. I can see it."

The sounds of Hannah and Ernie's voices brought tears to her eyes. She turned and hugged her friends. "That was terrifying and I'm now sorry for anybody who is permanently deaf," Susan stated, her voice sounding at a normal pitch.

"Susan!" Eloise squealed, not moving too far from Justin as he was still holding onto her hair. "Are you okay? No permanent damage?"

"My left ear feels weird, but other than that I'm fine."

"No more of this game, okay?" Eloise glanced at Ernie and Hannah. "I couldn't bare if—"

She shook her head slightly, scrunching up her face in pain as she accidentally made Justin pull some. "Never again," Susan promised.

Ernie squeezed Susan's hand. "Never," he agreed.

* * *

 **They never did play it again.**

 **Also very violently shipping Justin/Eloise now even more than Ernie/Susan fml.**

 **~Buttercat**


End file.
